Be My Baby
by Penny Shepard
Summary: When a Navy Lieutenant's home is broken into by two drug addicts claiming the Lieutenant stole their baby, it sparks an investigation into adoption, abandoned babies and an undercover operation by Gibbs and Jenny which opens new feelings for them. Jibbs
1. Chapter 1

Two Police Officers ran to the scene of the break in which had triggered the silent alarm at the residence of a Naval Lieutenant. When they got there they heard shouting from upstairs, and something smashing. Drawing their weapons they slowly made their way up the stair case, careful not to make their presence known until they had to.

When they reached the top they saw one of the bedroom doors open slightly. They made their way towards the room cautiously before bursting in and surprising the unsuspecting intruders.

'Police stay where you are!' One of the officers said.

There were two suspects, one a female and one a male, both in their early twenties and both looked dirty and unkempt. The young woman began to cry when she saw the two officers, but her partner tried to leg it out of the house before the second officer grabbed him.

'Right you're both under arrest.' The older female officer said as she got out her handcuffs to arrest her suspect. She pulled the guy up from the floor from where she had tackled him, and dragged him back into the bedroom.

The young woman didn't even try to resist arrest, but continued to cry hysterically.

'I just wanted my baby.' She cried.

The two officers looked at each other before quizzing the suspects further.

'OK let's start with your names.' The male officer said.

'My name is Tori, Tori Wilkes.' The young woman said, still crying and in distress.

'OK Tori, my name is Officer Johnston; my colleague is Officer Peters. What did you mean when you said that you wanted your baby?' Officer Johnston asked.

'The couple that live here have my baby and I want her back.' Tori replied before bursting into tears again.

The two officers looked at each other with worried expressions.

'I'll call it in.' Officer Peters said.


	2. Chapter 2

Penny bounced down the stairs of her Georgetown home with a large, happy smile on her face, which was unusual for her as she generally was not a morning person.

'Good morning.' She said happily as she entered the kitchen to find Jenny sat at the breakfast bar, gently sipping her coffee.

'You're in a good mood. I take it your date went well last night?' Jenny asked.

'Yeah it did; we had a lovely time.' Penny replied as she kissed Jenny on the cheek and wrapped her arms round her neck in a tight hug.

'You going to tell me who he is?' She asked coyly.

'Nice try, but no.' Penny said cheekily as she released Jenny from her hold.

Since Penny had found out Jenny was her mom and not her sister three weeks ago, they had been working on building their relationship, yet Penny couldn't help feel that there was still something keeping them back.

At that moment Gibbs entered the kitchen with a small smile.

'I hope McGee paid for dinner last night.' He asked as a stunned Penny looked at him.

'How the hell did you know it was McGee?' She asked with surprise.

'Are you kidding Penny? Gibbs knows everything, and I can't believe you went out with McGee.' Jenny rambled.

'Why? What's wrong with McGee? And before anyone dares quote rule number twelve at me, please remember that rule twelve has pretty much gone out the window.' Penny said defensively.

'I wasn't even thinking of rule twelve, which by the way Jethro we are going to have to re-write; can't quote a rule we've broken ourselves.' Jenny said as she looked lovingly towards Gibbs who was standing next to Penny.

Gibbs put his arm around Penny's shoulders and hugged her slightly, placing a kiss on her head.

'Well as long as he treats you properly, because if he doesn't he'll have me to answer to.' Gibbs said, winking at Penny.

Although he was sort of joking, he also sort of wasn't. He couldn't help but feel like an over protective father towards Penny, and Penny looked up to Gibbs as her father figure. Both of them liked the fact that they had this between them, given that they had both lost the people they were filling the voids for; Gibbs lost his daughter Kelly, and Penny had lost her father.

As the three of them sat down to eat breakfast Gibbs's phone began to ring.

'Yeah Gibbs.' He answered.

After a few minutes of silence Gibbs got up from his seat and closed his phone.

'Come on Penny time to go. We've got a young couple claiming a Navy Lieutenant stole their baby.' He explained as he put on his jacket.

They both kissed Jenny goodbye before getting into Gibbs's car and heading off to the Navy Lieutenants house, where Tony, Ziva and McGee were already waiting for them. They could see Tony standing outside the house, with two local LEOs standing next to their squad car.

'What've we got DiNozzo?' Gibbs asked as he approached his senior field agent.

'Well local LEOs were called out to a break in when the alarm system was triggered after these two broke in.' Tony explained as he pointed to the male and female in the back of the car. 'When they were trying to arrest them the woman said that the Lieutenant had stolen her baby.'

'Any information on the Lieutenant?' Gibbs asked as he took a sip from his signature cup of coffee.

'Lieutenant Charles Davis and his wife Rhianna Davis, married four years, moved to the area last month with their five week old baby.' Tony explained as he read the notes from his note book.

Gibbs took another sip from his coffee before handing the cup to Tony and walked towards the squad car. He opened the door and asked the young woman to step out.

'I'm Special Agent Gibbs, and you are…?' He asked as they both lent against the bonnet of the vehicle.

'Tori Wilkes.' Tori replied as she shook, clearly she had not had her fix today.

'OK Tori, would you like to tell me what happened?' He asked quietly.

'My baby, her name is Grace, and she's my baby not theirs. I never wanted to hand her over but he made me do it.' She explained as she became distressed again and pointed at the young guy in the car.

'So you gave her up for adoption?' Gibbs asked.

'Not exactly. When I found out I was pregnant Andy was furious and wanted me to get rid of her but I couldn't do it, so then he persuaded me to go along with having her adopted. I didn't know they'd done it illegally though.' Tori explained.

'Wait, what do you mean by illegally?' Gibbs asked with confusion.

Tori suddenly stopped and looked wide eyed at Gibbs as she realised that she had said too much.

'Right I think we had better continue this back at NCIS.' Gibbs said as he walked over to his team.

Tori was placed into the back of Gibbs's car, and her boyfriend Andy was placed in the back of the car the rest of the team had arrived in. Gibbs wanted to keep the couple separated until he figured out exactly what happened and who was responsible for what.

Once he arrived back at NCIS headquarters Gibbs placed Tori into the conference room and sat her at the table. Ducky had given her some methadone to help with her cravings, which meant she was calmer and slightly more coherent than before.

'Tori, at the Naval Lieutenant's home you said that your boyfriend, Andy Neave, forced you to give up your baby for adoption illegally. What did you mean by that?' Gibbs asked.

'The woman at the adoption agency said that she had the perfect couple for our baby, and that she would sort everything out without us having to worry about anything. I thought that she meant all the paper work and stuff, but then a couple of days ago I found out that there was no paper work and that the Davis's had paid for my baby, bought her like she was just some common object.' Tori explained as tears began to flow down her face.

'OK Tori, do you know how much they paid?' Gibbs asked quietly.

Tori shook her head slowly and choked back her tears before beginning to speak again.

'Andy and I got five thousand, but that's all I know. We're not together anymore, but I think he knows more than he's letting on.' She explained.

'Can you remember the name of the woman you dealt with at the adoption agency?' Gibbs asked as he took careful notes.

'Um…Tracy, Tracy Davidson.' She stammered.

'OK Tori, that's all for now. I want you to stay here until I can get more information. An agent will be through in a second to stay with you.' Gibbs said as he left the room and walked down to the bullpen.

Just as he got to the top of the stairs he saw Jenny coming up. She smiled at him warmly before they both turned into agent/director mode.

'Any word on the baby, adoption, Lieutenant case?' Jenny asked as she turned back on herself to follow Gibbs down to the bullpen.

'Well it looks like the Lieutenant and his wife may have adopted the baby illegally; for what reason I'm not sure yet but the team have been following up some background enquiries.' Gibbs explained as they joined the team. 'Right what've we got?' He asked.

Tony clicked a remote at the large plasma screen behind Gibbs's desk and two photographs appeared. The first was of a man who looked to be in his mid to late thirties, dressed in a Navy Lieutenant's uniform. The second picture was of a woman in her early thirties, with long blonde hair. Her picture was taken from her drivers licence and she was clearly not in the navy.

'OK so as I mentioned earlier Charles and Rhianna Davis, married for four years; approximately three of those they were trying for a family, but when they did not conceive naturally they turned to IVF which was unsuccessful. About ten months ago they turned to the adoption agency, The Sunflower Foundation, but they were turned down. Apparently Lieutenant Davis was arrested and charged with having a sexual relationship with a fifteen year old girl. He has always maintained that she told him she was eighteen and that she misled him. This was about twelve years ago, but the adoption agency wouldn't entertain their application because of it.' Tony explained as he clicked through various pieces of information.

'Can you tell me if a Tracy Davidson works for this agency?' Gibbs asked, looking at McGee.

McGee typed a few things into his computer before looking back up at Gibbs.

'Yeah boss; there's been a Tracy Davidson at the agency since May 2004.' He explained as he brought her personnel file up on the plasma.

'Ziva and Tony I want you to tail Davidson and let me know if she meets with anyone. McGee I want you to find out as much information as possible on Tracy Davidson. Penny…' Gibbs ordered before being interrupted by Penny.

'Put out a BOLO on the Davis's car and find out anything else about them.' Penny said as she turned round to sit at her desk.

About an hour later Penny's face contorted in concerned confusion as she read the file that was now appearing on her computer screen.

'Um…Gibbs? You may want to come have a look at this.' She said as she called Gibbs over from his desk.

'What've you got?' He asked.

'Well Tracy Davidson used to be Tracy Ross, until she was fired from her previous job at an adoption agency in 2002. She was suspected of carrying out adoptions "off the books" to couples who, through one reason or another, could not adopt legally; but the company had no actual proof of this, so no charges were ever brought.' Penny explained.

'That's good work Penny. Do you think you could get a list of all those who had applied for adoption but were refused?' He asked.

'Um…I should be able to but it's gonna take time.' Penny said with slight grimace.

'Well how long do you think you'll need?' He asked.

'Three, maybe four hours if I'm lucky.' Penny replied.

'Right well see what you can do in two?' Gibbs said as he disappeared out of the squad room to get coffee.

'Why does he do that?' Penny asked with a slightly annoyed, slightly confused and yet slightly interested expression.

'Does what?' Jenny asked as she entered the bullpen to find out how the investigation was going.

'Asks how long we need and then tells us we have less.' Penny explained.

Jenny smirked and gave a small laugh before replying.

'It's because he likes to push you all just that little bit harder. His methods might be a little unorthodox but you have to admit, he gets results.' Jenny said, before returning her attentions back to the case. 'So what've you got so far?'


	3. Chapter 3

By Gibbs's two hour deadline Penny had managed to locate fifty couples within the Washington, Virginia and Maryland areas that had been refused adoption within the last five years. She cross-referenced the names on the list with the births registry, and discovered that ten of the fifty couples now had children. McGee then cross-referenced the ten couples with the police and government data base and found that seven out of the ten had various convictions. The remaining three couples were all aged in their late forties and early fifties, and had been deemed too old to be able to adopt.

'Hey Penny take a look at this!' McGee exclaimed when he found something that caught his eye.

'What've you got McGee?' Penny said as she tried to put on her best Gibbs voice, which made McGee laugh.

'Not bad, but it still could do with a little work.' He said with a smile.

'What could McGee?' Gibbs said as he rounded the corner into the bullpen.

McGee looked nervously at Penny before he nervously replied.

'Err…nothing boss.' He said unconvincingly.

Penny laughed before replying on McGee's behalf.

'My impression of you Gibbs.' She said with a smile.

Gibbs didn't say anything but looked at Penny in a way that said he found her amusing.

'So Gibbs, we've found ten couples within Washington, Virginia and Maryland who applied for adoption, were refused but now have children.' Penny explained.

'So I cross-referenced Penny's list with the database, and it turns out that seven of the couples were refused due to one of them or both of them having been convicted of a crime.' McGee said before he elaborated on his findings, 'I checked through each couples' adoption application and they all met with either Tracy Ross or Tracy Davidson.'

'Good work guys.' Gibbs complimented the duo just as Tony and Ziva arrived back.

'Boss we followed Davidson all day but we didn't see anything untoward.' Tony explained.

Penny had been so engrossed in her own search that she hadn't noticed how late it was; she just realised as she saw Jenny coming down the stairs with her long red coat on.

'Go get some sleep guys; see you here tomorrow morning.' Gibbs said.

Normally he wouldn't want to leave so early, it was just after eight, but he wanted to spend time with Jenny.

'You ready to go home?' He asked her as the rest of the team departed one by one.

'Not exactly.' She said as she pulled a face of distain. 'I've got a stupid dinner to go to with Senator Jeffries, Congressman Summers and all the directors from the whole alphabet soup.' She said as she wrapped her arms around Gibbs's waste.

Normally neither of them would have publically shown their affection, and particularly not in the squad room, but the whole of NCIS seemed deserted, except for Penny.

'Any idea what time you'll be home?' Penny asked, sounding as equally exasperated as Jenny felt.

'I'll try not to be too late; say around ten-ish?' Jenny replied hopefully.

'Right well in that case, Gibbs do you fancy teaching me stuff about your boat?' Penny replied with a smile.

Gibbs smirked before replying happily.

'Sure, why not?' He said.

The three of them left together, with Penny and Gibbs going in his car back to his place, and Jenny heading off in her chauffer driven town car.

At Gibbs's house he and Penny were sat in his basement. Penny sat on the old wooden stairs as she watched Gibbs work away.

'Gibbs can I ask a question?' She asked after being silent for some time.

'Yeah, shoot.' He replied.

'How exactly are you going to get the boat out of your basement when it's finished?' She asked.

It was a question he had been asked many times by many people, and he enjoyed the feeling of satisfaction that he got when he saw their confused expressions.

'Well that's easy Penny; you just break the bottle.' He replied simply.

Penny still looked slightly confused before shaking her head and not giving it another moments though. She stood up and grabbed a sanding block from the work bench and slowly began to rub it over the curve of the wood.

Penny and Gibbs worked quietly for over an hour before Penny decided to break the silence.

'Gibbs, why do you think I still feel a little awkward around Jen now that I know she's my mom and not my sister?' She asked earnestly.

Gibbs could see that the question had been burning inside Penny for a long time, and that she had been mulling it over and over in her mind.

'Well why do you think you do?' He asked.

'I dunno; I guess it's maybe because I'm not sure what the next step for the both of us is. I mean she's been my big sis my entire life and now suddenly she isn't, and I feel that I should acknowledge that she's my mom, but I'm not sure if I should. You know, should I keep things the way it is, or should I acknowledge her as my mom?' Penny explained rapidly as she rambled.

Gibbs couldn't help but smirk; she was so much like Jenny it was uncanny.

'Well have you spoken to Jen about it?' He said as he took a gulp of bourbon from a glass jar, and handed a mug to Penny.

'Not yet.' She said quietly.

'Well there you go then; you should talk to her about it and be honest with her about how you feel.' Gibbs said profoundly.

'You're absolutely right. Thanks Gibbs.' Penny said with a large smile. 'You do realise that since she is my mom and if you two get married you'll become my step-dad.' She added in amusement.

Gibbs choked back a laugh before he even attempted to reply.

'What makes you think we're going to get married?' He said.

Penny laughed and chose her words carefully.

'You trying to say you don't want to marry her? Besides, I thought marriage was your thing.' She added cheekily.

Gibbs didn't reply; he decided it was better if he didn't get into that conversation, but Penny chose to press the subject a little more.

'On a serious note though Gibbs, I am really happy that you're together. You make her happy and I think she's finally met her Prince Charming.' Penny explained as she gulped down the last of her bourbon and grabbed her coat. 'Right I'd better head off. Catch you later Gibbsla.' She said as she kissed him on the cheek and ran off up the stairs.

Gibbs laughed and shook his head as he watched after her before turning his attentions back to his boat.

Penny finally arrived home shortly before half ten, and was pleased to see that the lights were on. As she opened the door and entered, she took off her coat and shouted through to see where Jenny was.

'It's only me.' She called.

'Through here.' She herd Jenny's disembodied voice come from the living room.

As she opened the door she saw that Jenny wasn't alone, which was unfortunate for her as she had wanted to talk to Jen. Sat on the sofa Penny recognised the secretary of the navy Phillip Davenport, and standing next to Jenny was a man that Penny didn't recognise.

'Penny, come on through.' Jenny said as she beckoned Penny forward. 'Phillip, David, I'd like to introduce you to my…' But Jenny stopped suddenly when she realised that she wasn't too sure what to introduce Penny as.

Jenny looked urgently at Penny who made the very quick decision, and hoped that she'd made the right one for them both.

'I'm Jenny's daughter Penny.' She said as she held out her hand to the two gentlemen.

Jenny gave a sigh of relief, and Penny was overwhelmed by the feeling of completeness that she felt after saying it, almost as if it was the final step that she needed to take to feel close to Jenny again.

Davenport and the other gentleman, who Penny discovered was the director of the FBI, finally left shortly after half past eleven. Both Penny and Jenny were glad to get a few minutes together, just to sit and relax.

'Ugh, I was beginning to think they'd never leave.' Jenny said as she flopped down onto the sofa beside Penny.

'I hope you didn't mind that I said I was your daughter.' Penny asked, realising that maybe Jenny didn't want to make their 'secret' public.

'No I'm really glad you did. I wasn't entirely sure what to say; I guess we haven't really talked about it have we?' Jenny replied as she looked at Penny.

'No we haven't, but I think we need to. Since I found out and I came back and everything, I've felt that there was a bit of a block between us, and I think I've realised what it is.' Penny explained as she straightened herself. 'You're my mom, which kind of feels a little weird saying it, but it feels right to say it, and I think it's only right that I acknowledge you as my mom.' She added.

Jenny looked at Penny with a slightly confused expression, or exhaustion, Penny wasn't entirely sure which.

'What I mean is, if it's OK with you, I'd really like to start calling you Mom.' Penny said finally, a slightly nervous quiver to her voice.

Jenny tried to control the tears that she could feel pricking at her eyes, but definitely could not control the large smile spreading its way across her face. She pulled Penny into a very tight hug and held her close.

'Penny I would love it, and would feel honoured if you called me Mom.' She replied quietly into Penny's ear.

Finally after several weeks of feeling awkward about the situation Penny felt relieved, and Jenny felt complete, like she was finally in the role that she had longed for.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day the team were all gathered round in the bullpen discussing the best approach for catching Tracy Davidson. They were still waiting for Gibbs, who had gone out to get his coffee, but the rest of the team were glad he was out when they heard Penny's suggestion.

'Well why don't we put two agents undercover?' She suggested.

'Oh really, who were you thinking of?' Tony asked.

'Gibbs and Jenny.' Penny said simply.

The whole team nearly choked when they heard her suggestion, they weren't entirely sure how Gibbs would react if he heard it.

'Well why not? I mean we need a couple who wouldn't be viable to adopt a baby legally, and, without being offensive to Gibbs, he would be turned down due to his age.' She explained.

'She does have a point Tony.' Ziva said.

'Yeah but Gibbs will never agree to it.' Tony spluttered at the insanity of their suggestions.

'Agree to what DiNozzo?' Gibbs asked as he swept into the bullpen.

'Penny it's your suggestion, you can tell him.' Tony said as he held his hands in the air.

Penny glared at him before she continued.

'Well I suggested that we put two agents in undercover.' She said.

'That's not a bad idea.' Gibbs replied as he took a sip from his cup.

'You haven't heard the best part yet boss.' Tony replied before he indicated to Penny to carry on.

'I suggested that you and Jen be the ones to do it.' She said quickly as she pulled a face in anticipation of Gibbs's reaction.

Gibbs sat silently for a few moments, which seemed like forever, before he replied.

'OK I'll go with it, just got to clear it with the director now.' Gibbs replied as he looked up at the cat walk towards Jenny's office. 'Seeing as it's your suggestion Penny you can come with me.' He added as he walked towards the staircase.

Penny followed him and glanced back at the team who were standing with their mouths wide open in shock; they couldn't believe Gibbs had been so receptive to the suggestion.

Gibbs opened Jenny's office door and walked in after allowing Penny in first.

'Uh oh this looks serious.' Jenny joked as she put her reading glasses down onto her desk.

Gibbs gave a small smirk before he began to explain.

'Ah don't worry Jen it isn't anything too worrying.' He said.

'OK so you two going to tell me what's going on?' She replied.

'Well we were thinking about our case and wondering how we are going to get enough evidence to arrest Tracy Davidson because at the moment we just don't have enough.' Penny began to explain. 'So I suggested putting two agents in undercover.' She added.

'Right OK, so I guess you're putting Tony and Ziva in?' Jenny replied before she realised that the looks of innocence she was greeted with meant she was wrong. 'Ah you mean us.' She said with realisation.

'Well you guys would be perfect.' Penny began before she stopped as she tried to figure out her wording carefully. 'I mean…well…without causing offence Gibbs, legally you wouldn't be viable for adopting; so I'm thinking maybe Abby could create two new identities for you both and an adoption application that was turned down, and then you could pretend that you'd been referred to Davidson by one of the others who had adopted from her.' She explained quickly.

'Well it does sound like it might work Jethro.' Jenny said as she mulled the mission over. It had been a long time since she had done any undercover work, especially with Gibbs.

'Yeah I think it might just work, but I'd like to put Tony and Ziva in as well.' He added.

'OK well get Abby to put our new identities together and give me a call when you're ready to begin.' Jenny said with a smile.

With that Penny and Gibbs left the office and headed back down stairs, with Penny going all the way to Abby's lab.

'Hey Abs what's happening?' She asked as she entered the lab.

'Oh you know just the usual, guess the blood type, what's that icky stuff? and my favourite microscopic DNA analysis.' She explained excitedly. 'What's new with you guys?' She asked just as Gibbs arrived with a caf-pow in hand.

'Mommy and Daddy are getting hitched.' Penny said simply.

'Oh my God I can't believe you're getting married again Gibbs; oh this is so exciting…' Abby rambled with excitement as she bounced round the lab.

'Abs…Abs...ABS! Gibbs shouted as Abby danced happily around, stopping her dead in her tracks. 'We are not getting married.' He said and then looked at Abby's look of disappointment. 'Penny you should know better than to get Abby's hopes up like that.' He playfully chastised.

Penny and Abby looked at each other and laughed, and even Gibbs found himself smiling.

'So what's going on then?' Abby asked once she had restored her composure.

'Abs we need you to create new identities for Tony, Ziva, the director and myself.' Gibbs explained.

'OK so tell me exactly what it is you're looking for and I will work my magic.' Abby replied.

Gibbs left Abby and Penny to work on the new identities whilst he headed back home. He went up into his attic and hunted for the box that he knew was up there somewhere. After searching for almost an hour he found what he was looking for, and headed back to NCIS.

As he entered the squad room he saw that the team, including Jenny, were already assembled together.

'Hey Gibbs, Abby and Penny have finished on our new identities.' Tony said with a slightly excited tone to his voice.

'Great, well put these on.' He said as he threw a small blue box to Tony, who managed to catch it with one hand.

The team all looked slightly confused for a few seconds until Tony opened the box to reveal two gold wedding bands. Taking each ring Tony and Ziva placed them on their ring fingers, with Ziva admiring hers.

Gibbs approached Jenny with another small box in his hand, this time it was red, and opened it to show two more gold wedding rings. Taking out the smallest band he took hold of Jenny's left hand and gently placed the ring on her ring finger. Jenny looked at it and then at Gibbs with a very large smile.

'See Gibbs I told you that you would end up marrying her.' Penny said as she watched her mom enthusiastically.

The whole team laughed and Abby recommenced her jumping around that had been so rudely interrupted earlier.

'Right guys come on, let's hit the road.' Gibbs said as he placed his own wedding ring on and walked them all out towards the cars.


	5. Chapter 5

McGee and Penny were sat in the observations van, checking the sound and recording equipment, whilst Jenny, Gibbs, Tony and Ziva sat in the car on the opposite side of the road.

'OK guys I need you to test your sound equipment; please reply yes if you can hear me.' McGee said as he pressed a couple of the buttons on the recording and surveillance equipment in front of him.

'Yeah Tim we can hear you.' Gibbs said.

'My sound isn't so great McGeek.' Tony said as he fiddled with his earpiece.

'Well then stop playing with the earwig Tony.' McGee replied sounding slightly annoyed.

After a few minutes of pressing buttons, adjusting camera angles and altering sound, McGee was able to confirm that Davidson was in the office, and alone.

'OK boss you can go in now.' McGee said.

Gibbs, who was sat in the driver's seat, looked over at Jenny who sat nervously beside him.

'You ready?' He asked her.

'Yeah, let's do this.' She replied, sounding a little more confident than she felt.

Gibbs and Jenny exited the vehicle and walked towards Davidson's office, where Gibbs then opened the door and allowed Jenny in before him.

'Hello, can I help you?' Davidson asked as she greeted the new couple before her.

Tracy Davidson was of average height, with long blonde hair, hazel coloured eyes and a tattoo on her right wrist. She seemed very friendly and came across as very professional and courteous.

'Hi I'm Jenny and this is my husband Jethro.' Jenny said as she introduced herself and Gibbs.

Davidson shook their hands and encouraged them to sit beside her desk.

'Can I get you both anything? Tea or coffee perhaps?' She asked.

'Coffee would be lovely thanks.' Jenny replied and Gibbs also nodded.

After a few moments Davidson reappeared with two mugs of steaming coffee and placed them in front of Gibbs and Jenny.

'So how can I help you?' Davidson asked.

'Well we're wanting to adopt a child.' Jenny explained.

'Ok so why exactly are you looking to adopt?' Tracy said.

'Well Jethro and I have been married for five years and we've been trying to start a family; but after several years of nothing and several failed attempts at IVF, we've finally had to admit that it's just not going to happen.' Jenny explained as tears began to prick at her eyes, and her voice changed so that she sounded upset.

Gibbs took hold of her hand and comfortingly squeezed it so that Davidson noticed the display of comfort and affection, but not so that it was made to look obvious.

'Wow they're good.' McGee said sounding surprised and impressed.

'Well of course they're good McGee, this is what they used to do; go undercover as a married couple and live as man and wife for months on end. They used to have to make their cover so believable that they believed it themselves.' Penny explained.

'Well yeah good point, but still they have every last detail to a T.' He replied.

'Rule number seven, always be specific when you lie.' Penny said with a smirk as she took a sip from the Starbucks cup in her hand.

'So were you thinking of adopting a baby, toddler, young child or a teenager perhaps?' Penny and McGee heard Davidson asked.

'I'd really like a new born baby.' Jenny replied.

'And why is that?' Davidson said.

Jenny gulped before replying. Deep down she actually really wanted to have children, but it wasn't something she was ready to discuss openly. Taking a deep breath she opened up and explained truthfully why she would like a baby.

'I want to have a baby so that I can be part of their life from the very beginning, you know have memories right from the start, and so that I have the chance to be the only mom they know.' Jenny explained.

'And Jethro you've been very quiet; we've heard why Jenny wants to adopt, and why she would like a baby, but what about you? Why do you want a baby?' Davidson asked Gibbs, who then shifted slightly uncomfortably.

'Well I want to do what makes Jenny happy.' Gibbs replied as he glanced lovingly at Jenny.

'Yes but why do you want to adopt a baby. Why should I put through an application or adoption for you?' Davidson pressed.

Gibbs thought for a moment before replying. He hadn't shared any details about his past with anyone, including Jenny; and deep down he personally wasn't sure he could cope with having another child after what happened to Kelly. But he couldn't voice those concerns, so he decided to adapt the truth slightly.

'Well I already have a daughter; her name is Penny and…well she's all grown up now.' Gibbs explained.

Penny coughed on her coffee when she heard Gibbs's explanation. McGee looked at Penny and couldn't hide the look of shock that appeared on his face. Slowly, as Penny got over the surprise of Gibbs's story, a small smile began to crease her face, and she took another sip from her cup.

'OK so how does your daughter affect your decision to adopt a baby?' Davidson asked, bringing the stunned team back to reality.

'Well I wasn't around much when she was growing up; I was a marine and was away most of the time, so I missed out on a lot. We're closer now, but still I would like the opportunity to do all of the things that I never got to do.' He explained.

Davidson nodded her head in acknowledgement and then entered a few details into her computer.

'I see that you made an application for adoption back in January this year. Unfortunately it was rejected, and I don't think there's much more I can do.' Davidson explained.

'Well that's why we came to you.' Jenny replied.

'What do you mean?' Davidson said, a slightly concerned expression crossing her face.

'Well we were given your name by two friends of ours. They adopted a child from you…privately.' Jenny said as she lowered her voice.

'I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're talking about.' Davidson said finally.

'I'm sorry that we got the wrong end of the stick.' Gibbs said as he stood up and walked towards the door, closely followed by Jenny.

They joined Penny and McGee in the back of the surveillance van; Penny handed them both a hot cup of coffee, which they gratefully accepted.

'So what now boss?' McGee asked.

'Now we wait McGee.' Gibbs replied. 'I want you two to stay here and watch Davidson; call it in if you see anything.' He added as he opened the back doors of the van once again.

'Sure thing…Dad.' Penny said just as Gibbs was about to head out of the van.

Gibbs looked back with a smile and Jenny couldn't help give a small laugh.

Gibbs, Jenny, Tony and Ziva headed back to NCIS headquarters to wait for Davidson to make her next move, if she did anything at all.

Gibbs and Jenny headed to her office, whilst Tony and Ziva went down to Abby's lab to fill her in on the details of their undercover assignment, which they knew she'd be pretty psyched about.

Meanwhile McGee and Penny remained in the van steadily watching Davidson as she made phone calls.

It was getting on for nearly five o'clock, and both Penny and McGee were feeling hungry after missing lunch earlier. Penny decided to go out and get them both something to eat and a cup of coffee.

She walked round the corner to the nearest coffee shop and purchased some sandwiches, coffee and a couple of muffins. She returned happily to the van, where McGee was sat frantically adjusting buttons and knobs.

'What's going on McGee?' Penny asked with concern.

'Davidson has made contact with the boss, but I'm getting some interference from somewhere.' He panic-stricken.

Finally after a few minutes of high pitched whistling and white noise, Penny and McGee could hear Davidson's conversation with Gibbs and Jenny.

'Can you meet me at the Whitmore Hotel, room 201?' They heard Davidson ask.

'What time?' Gibbs said.

'Seven thirty.' Davidson replied.

'We'll be there.' Gibbs said as he hung up.

Within seconds of Gibbs hanging up from speaking to Davidson, Penny's cell phone began to ring.

'Shepard?' Penny answered.

'Did you get that conversation?' Gibbs asked.

'Yeah we got it all. What would you like us to do now?' Penny replied.

'Come back to base; we're going to need everyone for this one.' Gibbs said as he hung up.

'Right McGee, who's driving, me or you?' Penny asked with a small smirk.


	6. Chapter 6

Penny and McGee arrived back at headquarters within forty-five minutes after the call had been received by Gibbs; during which time the rest of the team had been working on hidden microphones.

'OK guys so what's happening?' Penny asked as she set her rucksack, gun and badge at her desk.

'Well we're all going to the hotel with Gibbs and Jenny. McGee will be outside observing and taking pictures of anyone that may be associated with Davidson; Ziva and I will be in the bedroom next to 201 so that if Gibbs and Jenny need immediate assistance we can be on hand to help.' Tony explained.

'OK so where am I going to be?' Penny asked, sounding slightly disappointed that she might not be in on the action.

'I want you combing the hotel for anyone who might be spotters, and if McGee sees anyone suspicious going into the hotel I want you to detain them.' Gibbs said as he and Jenny entered the bullpen, a cup of coffee each in their hand, with Jenny carrying an extra one for Penny.

At seven o'clock the team made their way to the Whitmore Hotel, and took up their various positions.

Gibbs and Jenny walked up to room 201 and lightly knocked on the door, waiting briefly before it was opened.

'Ah Jenny, Jethro, good to see you both.' Davidson said as she opened the door and allowed them through.

'Well thank you for calling us.' Jenny replied with a weak smile.

'So why did you call us?' Gibbs asked, trying not to sound too impatient.

'Well I couldn't say anything to you at the agency because what I do isn't…well it's not legal; but what I do is best for the children and the families who want to love them.' Davidson explained.

'So what are you trying to say?' Jenny asked casually.

'Bear with me one moment.' Davidson said as she exited the room, before returning a few minutes later.

Held in her arms was a tiny new born baby girl, who barely looked a few hours old.

'If you are serious about wanting a baby, then this little one could be yours. Her mother is only sixteen and comes from a very religious family, so she didn't want anyone knowing about the pregnancy, birth or the baby.' Davidson explained as she passed the baby to Jenny.

Jenny was surprised to feel overwhelmed as she carefully cradled the baby in her arms; she was so overwhelmed that she had to remind herself that this wasn't real, and that she was on a mission. As she looked down at the baby it reminded her of the first time she'd held Penny after she was born, the first time she'd heard her cry and the first time that she'd become a mom.

Although Penny now knew that she was her mom, and even though they were building on their mother/daughter relationship, she still felt like she had missed out on so much.

Gibbs was watching Jenny as she cradled the baby, and couldn't help but notice how natural she looked. He then turned his attentions to the baby and it reminded him of when Kelly was born. The nurse had placed Kelly in Shannon's arms first, who then passed her to him. He had cried with joy that day, one of the first and only times he'd cried, and couldn't believe that he had created something so amazing.

'She's yours if you want her.' Davidson said, bringing them both out of their thoughts. 'But it will cost you.' She added.

Jenny was taken aback at how cold the last part had sounded, like they were discussing the purchase of meat.

'How much we talking?' Gibbs asked, also noting the cold tone of the conversation.

'Twenty thousand dollars.' Davidson replied casually.

Jenny and Gibbs nearly choked when they heard the amount. This woman was making a very tidy profit out of someone else's happiness and misery.

'If you need time to talk it over I would understand.' Davidson said.

'How much time can you give us?' Gibbs asked.

'How does tomorrow afternoon sound? Say three o'clock?' She replied hopefully.

Gibbs and Jenny looked at each other before replying.

'Three o'clock tomorrow will be fine.' Jenny said as she reluctantly handed the baby back to Davidson.

Gibbs and Jenny left the hotel room and joined McGee in the car whilst they waited for the other three to join them. Jenny couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving the baby, but what she did feel good about was knowing that she was helping put the people away who were potentially putting her life in danger, by giving her to a family who had been legally deemed unfeasible.

Penny was the last to join the team once Tony and Ziva had left the hotel. She couldn't be one hundred per cent certain, but she thought that Davidson may have had someone patrolling the hotel as Gibbs had suspected.

Once they returned to NCIS McGee, Ziva and Tony all went home, and Gibbs and Jenny sat in the bullpen finalising a few details. Penny sat at her computer frantically typing away and looking at photographs of various people trying to find the man that she saw around the hotel.

'Penny…Penny…Penelope!' Jenny said as she tried to get Penny's attention.

'Sorry Mom, I'll be finished in a minute.' Penny said, which resulted in a small smile from Jenny when she heard her say "mom".

'What is it you're doing?' She asked as she joined Penny at her computer.

'Well I'm certain there was a guy in the hotel that may have been a spotter or something. He kept coming into the bar and then would walk outside before walking back in and up into the lift.' Penny explained without taking her eyes off the computer.

'Well we only saw Davidson in the room. I can't say that we saw anyone else between the foyer and the room.' Jenny replied. The concern was very evident in her voice.

'Well I'm pretty certain he saw you, because when you walked in he was sat at the reception waiting area by the phones, but when he saw you both entering he got up and that was when he started patrolling the place. But I just can't seem to find him.' Penny said with an annoyed and frustrated tone. 'Ooo I know, I'll see if I can't hack into the hotels security system and get a screen grab of him from their CCTV.' She added excitedly.

Jenny laughed and decided to leave her to it whilst she and Gibbs went to get their life fuel, coffee. They headed down to their favourite coffee shop and ordered their usual, getting a mint hot chocolate for Penny.

'So Penny's six month review is coming up soon.' Jenny said to Gibbs, who smiled subtly and gave a small laugh.

'Uh huh.' He replied coyly.

'How's she doing?' Jenny asked caringly.

'She's doing good Jen, actually she's fantastic. She's shown great enthusiasm for the job, she's never afraid to put her pennies worth in, no pun intended, and she definitely knows what she's doing.' Gibbs explained proudly.

'But…?' Jenny asked, sensing there was more to come.

'I think there are times when she doubts herself and her own abilities when she shouldn't. She reminds me a lot of you actually. You were just the same when you started, but we soon fixed that.' Gibbs replied with a cheeky grin.

'Do you think you can maybe have a little word with her? She's studying so much at the minute for her next set of exams and I'm worried about her Jethro. I'm worried that she's going to overdo things and I don't want to see her make herself ill.' Jenny explained with a worried expression and tone as she hooked her arm through Gibbs's and they began to walk back to the navy yard.

'I'll talk to her; but you do realise that a lot of the time she's doing the things she does to make you proud. She thinks a lot of what you think of her and it seems important to her that she makes you proud and matches up to the agent you were.' Gibbs replied.

'Do you think?' Jenny said with a shocked expression as they crossed the road, just as the rain began.

'Yeah definitely, I'm sure it can't be easy being the director's daughter either, and I think that occasionally plays on her mind too. I think she's concerned that other people may think that she gets an easy ride because she's your girl.' Gibbs replied as he pulled Jenny into a bus shelter as the rain grew heavier and began to flood the road in front of them.

They were thoroughly soaked to the skin; Jenny's hair was flattened and she had water dripping down her face and off her nose. Gibbs looked the same, but he'd been smart enough to take his jacket with him, whereas Jenny only had her cardigan.

Being the gent that he was Gibbs took his jacket off when Jenny began to shiver and placed it round her shoulders. He set their coffees and the hot chocolate down on the bench and placed his arms around Jenny in a comforting and warm hug. She was facing away from him looking out into the darkness and the rain that was lashing down. Gibbs held her tightly and placed his head on her shoulder. He tenderly kissed her behind her ear before whispering to her.

'I love you Jen.' He said in a random moment of affection.

'I love you too Jethro.' She replied with a happy sigh as she pushed herself closer into Gibbs's arms.

'Is everything alright?' Gibbs asked her as he acknowledged a slightly melancholy tone to her voice.

'Yeah I'm OK it's just I've been thinking…' But before she could finish a car pulled up in front of them and Penny rolled down the window.

'Hey guys; thought you might appreciate a lift back to base.' She said as they climbed into the back seat.

Gibbs was curious to find out what it was Jenny was going to say, but it was going to have to wait now until he got her on her own again.

Penny pulled the car into the naval base and down into the underground car park. It was getting late and all three really just wanted to get home, but Penny was insistent that they saw what she had found out about the mystery man from the hotel.


	7. Chapter 7

Back at base Gibbs and Jenny took off some of their wet clothes and placed them on the radiator to dry.

Penny logged back into her computer and brought up a file onto the plasma screen.

'OK so I managed to get an ID on mystery man. His name is Duncan Ross he's Tracy Davidson's brother. He has convictions for armed robbery, robbery with violence, assault and attempted murder. He came out of prison in 2002 after doing an eight year stretch for a robbery on a jewellers in which the clerk was shot and paralysed.'. Penny explained.

'Ooo he's not someone you'd want to meet on a dark night.' Jenny replied with a very concerned tone.

'No he's not, but that's why I wanted to tell you tonight. Guys he's really someone I don't want you getting on the wrong side of.' Penny said as she matched her mom's concerned tone.

Jenny wrapped Penny in a warm and comforting hug, who in turn wrapped her arms around Jenny's waist.

'Don't worry about us; we've been in far more dangerous situations than this.' Jenny replied as she kissed the top of Penny's head.

'Oh it gets a lot worse.' Gibbs said as he stared at the plasma screen.

'Why what's wrong?' Jenny asked.

'It was me who put him away back in '94.' Gibbs explained as he recognised his and Mike's signatures on the arrest record.

'But how did you get involved? I mean he's not a marine or naval officer.' Penny asked, still holding on to Jenny.

'He's not but their brother was. He was also involved in the armed robbery on the jewellers. It was his first offence and I never believed that he went along with the robbery willingly; but their father had just died and had left them with a lot of debt.' Gibbs explained as he recalled the case.

'So what happened to the other brother?' Jenny asked.

'Well about three months into their sentences the brother killed himself. Guess he couldn't hack being in prison.' Gibbs replied.

'So all of this could be a trap then Gibbs?' Penny said as she attempted to stifle a yawn.

'Well not necessarily. I never met Davidson, so I don't think she could recognise me; Ross on the other hand might.' Gibbs said as he perched himself on the edge of his desk.

'Well then we can't take the risk, you guys have to pull out.' Penny said with more concern and determination in her voice.

'No we can't Penny; what about that baby girl and all the rest of the babies that Davidson and Ross have potentially put in danger for their own self-centred greed?' Jenny replied.

She didn't like the idea of putting anyone's life at risk, but she also didn't like the idea of Davidson and Ross being able to get away with their crimes.

'Fine then; but what if I go in instead of Gibbs?' Penny asked.

'No too dangerous. I don't want two women on their own with Ross in the vicinity…I know that you both are more than capable of looking after yourselves Jen, but, no offence, you are a lot weaker than he is trust me. When Mile and I arrested him before, it took three of us just to take him down, and that was after I ended up with a fractured wrist, Mike had a dislocated shoulder and the other agent ended up with a fractured jaw and cheekbone.' Gibbs said as he talked over Jenny's objection.

'Fine.' She replied in a slightly tired yet slightly defeatist tone. 'So what else do you suggest?'

'We'll put DiNozzo in instead; tell them that I had to work and couldn't get out of it and that he's your brother. I'll stay inside the hotel with Penny, McGee and Ziva, and we'll arrest him on sight.' Gibbs said authoritively.

'OK then, we'll go with that.' Jenny replied as Penny gave another louder yawn. 'Come on I think we need to get you to bed before tomorrow.' She added as Penny looked at her already half asleep.

The three of them headed out of NCIS and back home, where Penny almost fell asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow, whereas Jenny and Gibbs didn't rest so easily. They were both too deep in thought about their own thoughts and concerns about a lot of things that had happened within the last couple of days.

A few hours later and the fresh morning sun had poked its head into the sky. The rain had stopped which left the wet sidewalks and road glistening in the sunlight. The team were already gathered in the bullpen, ready to start their day.

Giving that she was the director Jenny had been given the task of obtaining the twenty thousand dollars. It had to be real and it had to be the full amount so that they could make the transaction without anyone suspecting that it was a sting operation.

'So today's the day.' Tony said excitedly.

'Yup.' Penny replied cheerily. 'Nothing like catching bad guys on a Friday to fill you full of happiness before the weekend.' She added.

'Yeah but that's only if we manage to get a confession out of them by tonight, otherwise we'll be here until doomsday.' McGee replied pessimistically.

'Aw don't be so "half empty" McGee; Gibbs is a genius, he could literally get blood out of a stone.' Penny said as she tried her Gibbs stare.

'Better Penny but it still needs work.' Gibbs said with a smile as he entered the bullpen and joined his team.

'What does half empty mean? And how can you get blood from a stone?' Ziva asked with confusion.

She hated idioms, they confused the life out of her; although it did make for some hilarity when she got them wrong.

'Well "half empty" refers to the saying about whether a glass is half empty or half full. If you say your glass is half empty then you are a pessimist, whereas if it is half full, like mine always is, then you are an optimised. It's all to do with your outlook on life.' Penny tried to explain, but it only resulted in Ziva looking more confused.

Ziva was about to reply when Jenny entered the bullpen, and the look on her face told the team that she meant business.

'Right I've managed to get the twenty thousand Davidson asked for, but there's been a changed of plan. Instead of Gibbs going in with me, Agent DiNozzo will be.' She explained in her director's voice.

'Why are we changing?' Tony asked.

'Because of this guy.' Gibbs said as he indicated to Penny to bring up Ross's photograph on the plasma screen. 'He is Davidson's brother, but I arrested him back in '94. We don't think they know who we are, but to be on the safe side that's why I'm not going in with Director Shepard.' He explained.

'So what are we going to say if they ask who I am?' Tony asked with concern.

'We're going to say that Gibbs had to work and couldn't get out of it, and that you're my brother.' Jenny explained. 'If there aren't any more questions then I will meet you here at two o'clock.' She added in a very matter of fact tone of voice, leaving the team under no impression that she wasn't being serious.

The team, including Penny and Gibbs, all wondered what was bothering their fearless leader as she walked quickly up the stairs and into MTAC. The previous night she had been fine, if not a little distant, but this morning she seemed more agitated, more determined, and definitely more pissy.

'Gibbs is Mom alright? Only she doesn't seem her normal self.' Penny asked in a quiet whisper as the other team members set to on their paper work.

'I don't know Penny, but you're right she doesn't seem her normal self.' Gibbs replied, more confirming his own thoughts out loud rather than replying to Penny's question. 'Don't worry too much Penny, Jen can hold her own.' He added when he saw the concerned look on her face.

Penny didn't reply but nodded slightly before returning to her own desk. She logged into her own computer and began to write her report.

The team were silent for several hours as they worked quickly on their reports and witness statements. They wanted everything to be finished so that they could leave as soon as they caught Davidson and Ross.

Finally two o'clock arrived and Jenny stormed into the bullpen, looking no less pissy than before. She seemed really determined to get a result on this case.

'Is everyone ready?' She asked.

'Yup.' The team all chorused in unison as they grabbed their badges and guns.

They made their way in two cars to the hotel, and arrived with half an hour to spare. They worked quickly to bug room 201 so that they could record everything that was going on. They had discussed putting a recording device in with the money, but decided it was too risky in case they checked.

They all took up their positions around the hotel. Gibbs sat at the bar which had a good view of the hotel foyer. Penny was given a tabard and a cleaning trolley so that she could act as house cleaning. McGee was patrolling the outside perimeter of the hotel with Ziva, and Tony and Jenny went back to the car to wait for Davidson and Ross's arrival.

A couple of minutes after three a black Cadillac pulled up in a parking space outside the hotel, and the two suspects got out and entered the hotel.

'Right everyone, it's show tiiiime!' Tony said as he mimicked the famous line from "The Mask" films.

Jenny gave Tony a look, which strangely looked familiar, which told him that she wasn't impressed.

'DiNozzo, shut up.' They all heard Gibbs say through their earwigs, which resulted in a small smile from everyone.

'Shutting up boss.' He replied despondently as he and Jenny got out of the car.

Gibbs watched as Jenny and Tony walked through the hotel foyer and into the elevator, and wanted nothing more than to be the one with her, wishing he was closer so that he could protect her; but he trusted Tony to do that as well.

Shortly after Tony and Jenny disappeared Gibbs saw Ross make a brief appearance.

'Have eyeball on Ross.' He said quietly so that no one else heard except his team. 'He going in to the elevator.' He added.

Elsewhere Tony and Jenny knocked on the door as previously instructed. Davidson opened the door with a very large smile as she allowed them in.

'Who's this?' She asked Jenny as she pointed at Tony.

'This is my brother Tony; unfortunately Jethro can't make it, he had to work this afternoon and couldn't get out of it.' Jenny explained with a smile.

'I thought I'd come for morale support.' Tony explained with a slightly nervous laugh.

'OK well, it's very nice to meet you. So did you bring the money?' Davidson asked as she switched from pleasant to business woman.

In response to her question Jenny held up a briefcase which was full of hundred dollar bill notes. Davidson took the briefcase from Jenny's hands without saying a word, and placed it on the bed. She opened it to check there was actually money inside.

'You can count it if you want, but I can assure you that it's all there.' Jenny said.

'Oh don't you worry, I will.' Davidson replied without taking her mind off the money.

'So where's the baby?' Jenny asked.

Outside in the corridor Penny carefully watched as Ross made an appearance. She could feel her heart beating faster with nerves, and she instinctively touched her gun to make sure it was still in its holster. As she looked at Ross he nervously acknowledged her, and she busied herself with her trolley, pretending to be looking for something. As she ducked down behind the trolley she whispered into her hidden mike.

'Gibbs, he's up on the fifth floor.' She whispered as she briefly glanced up at him.

Ross noticed her look at him, and he became slightly suspicious, so he turned on his heel and walked quickly in the other direction. Penny began wheeling the trolley in the same direction trying not to make it obvious that she was following him, but since he was already suspicious of her he began to run down the corridor.

'Gibbs he's sussed me. I'm now chasing him down corridor B on the fifth floor.' She said in to her mike as she chased after him.

They run out of the doors leading on to the fifth floor and down the stairs. Ross had a slightly head start on Penny, but she was fast gaining on him.

On hearing Penny's message Gibbs immediately left his position in the bar and ran towards the stairs.

'Penny where are you now?' He said into his mike, but there was no reply.

He frantically began to run up the stairs towards the fifth floor and was dismayed to find that he got there with no sign of Ross or Penny.

'Penny where the hell are you?' He asked frantically into his mike once again, but again there was no reply.

Heading back down the stairs he decided to check each and every floor.

Penny continued to run after Ross down more and more stair cases before he disappeared through a door which stated "danger" in large letters. Taking a deep breath she followed him in, but was dismayed to find that she'd lost him. She took a few more steps into the room before something large and heavy hit her on the back of the head, sending her unconscious to the floor.

Up in room 201 Davidson handed Jenny the baby girl she had promised. Jenny held the baby close and hadn't noticed Davidson pick up her phone to read a text message. Ross had sent a text message to his sister warning her that they were cops, which instantly through the room into chaos.

As Jenny cooed over the baby with Tony, Davidson slowly pulled out a gun from the waist band of her pants and held it in their direction.

'Don't move!' She said as she stepped slowly back towards the hotel door.

'Oh take it easy.' Tony said as he tried to calm Davidson down. He took a couple of steps towards her, only to be met by more shouting.

'I told you to stay where you are!' Davidson shouted as she took a few more steps back and grappled with the door handle, not taking her eyes of Jenny and Tony.

As she opened the door she ran out into the corridor leaving Tony and Jenny in the room.

'Are you alright?' Tony asked Jenny who still had hold of the baby.

'Yeah I'm, just get after her.' Jenny replied as she cradled the baby girl who was now beginning to cry.

Davidson hadn't gotten too far away. She had run out onto the fire escape and was about to continue down when she was met by Ziva holding a gun. She turned round to run back up when Tony appeared, also holding his gun. Davidson held her hands in the air in defeat, and Tony handcuffed her.

Down in the basement Penny began to stir, and felt her head throbbing.

'Ouch! That's gonna leave one hell of a bump in the morning.' She said as she rubbed the back of her head.

She looked around her as she began to stand up, and drew her side arm when she saw a shadow on the back wall.

'Federal agent, come out with your arms in the air!' She shouted as she took a few steps closer to Ross.

As she approached a large boiler Ross appeared from the side with his gun held towards her, looking like he was not ready to give up any time soon.

McGee had entered the hotel and found Gibbs on the stairwell between floors one and three.

'Have you seen Penny?' Gibbs asked with concern.

'No boss I've not. What's happened to her?' McGee replied as he matched Gibbs's concerned voice.

Just as Gibbs was about to reply they heard a single gunshot, and then three more quickly followed suit. They raced down the stairs towards the direction they heard the gunshots sound from, and entered the basement with their own weapons held high. They walked quickly towards the back of the room where Gibbs called out for Penny.

'Penny?' He shouted.

'I'm over here.' She shouted back, resulting in a loud sigh of relief from both Gibbs and McGee.

As they walked towards Penny's voice they saw her sat on the floor holding her arm, which had blood pouring from it. Opposite was the lifeless body of Duncan Ross.

'What happened?' Gibbs asked in a fatherly voice as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it round her wound.

'I chased him down into here, he clobbered me with something and when I came round he tried to shoot me, hit me in the arm, so I fired back.' She replied sounding very scared and on the verge of tears.

Once Gibbs had sorted her wound the best he could he helped Penny up who began to sob as the shock of the situation finally took over.

'Come on, let's get you outta here.' Gibbs said quietly as he wrapped his arm protectively around Penny's shoulders and caringly kissed the top of her head.


	8. Chapter 8

Penny and the baby were taken to the hospital to be checked out. Jenny had freaked a little when she saw that Penny had been shot, which Penny had found rather amusing. Jenny didn't often lose her composure about things; she was always very calm and collected, but when it came to her daughter she would move mountains to get to her, and would kill anyone who tried to hurt her.

Penny sat in the hospital cubical on the gurney with her arm bandaged and in a sling. Jenny entered with her concerned expression still clearly visible on her face.

'You don't need to worry so much Mom I'm fine.' Penny said with a smile.

She was now a lot calmer than she had been earlier, although that could have been the painkillers kicking in.

'Well I don't like seeing you hurt, but at least you're only hurt and not in a body bag.' Jenny said as she set her jacket down on the chair. 'You could have been killed you know. I mean seriously what a stupid thing to do to run off on your own like that.' She scolded.

'Well I thought Gibbs was close by and that McGee and/or Ziva would join us. Besides, how many times have you been shot before now because you went off on your own?' Penny replied rhetorically.

'That's not the point.' Jenny said as she held her daughter close, thanking God that she hadn't been injured worse or even killed. 'Come on, let's go home. The doctors have said we can.' She said as she fought back her tears.

They made their way to the car and Jenny drove them back towards their Georgetown home.

'So what happened to the baby?' Penny asked after a few minutes of silence.

'The hospital checked her over and she's fine, but they're going to keep her in to be on the safe side; then social services will take it from there.' Jenny explained, a little pang of guilt forming in her stomach.

The rest of the journey home was quiet. Penny was tired as the events of the day took their toll along with the morphine going round her bloodstream. Jenny helped her out of the car once she pulled up outside their house.

Penny settled herself on the sofa whilst Jenny went into the kitchen to make their dinner. She decided to make Penny's favourite pasta dish, and was quietly humming away to herself. She was so engrossed in her cooking that she didn't notice Gibbs walk into the kitchen.

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, which made her jump slightly.

'Jethro you gave me a fright.' She exclaimed with a small laugh.

Gibbs also gave a small laugh as he placed a loving kiss her cheek and a few down her neck.

'You're very distracting you know.' Jenny said as she stirred in some herbs into her homemade pasta sauce.

'That's what I'm here for; to distract you in any way you see fit.' He whispered into her ear.

She turned slightly and caught his eye, playfully glaring at him with a small smirk. His reply was to wiggle his eyebrows at her. She couldn't help laugh before turning her attention back to their meal.

'Can I help?' Gibbs asked her.

'Nope, I'm just about done, but you can set the table if you want.' Jenny replied.

Gibbs let go of her waist and went into the dining room and set the table for the three of them. Just as he finished laying the cutlery Jenny came in with a pan of pasta and pasta sauce.

'Penny your dinner's out!' Jenny shouted through to the living room, and then sat herself down at the table.

Penny sauntered in looking exhausted; and flumped down into the dining room chair.

'Who knew being shot could be so tiring.' Penny said with a small smile, which made Gibbs and Jenny laugh.

The three of them chatted for a little while before retiring to the living room. Gibbs added more wood to the fire just as the front doorbell rang. Jenny got up from the sofa and answered the door to a highly excitable Abby.

'Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!' She said as she entered the hall and danced around in worried circles. 'Tony said that Penny got shot, and then I drove to the hospital but you'd already left, and they wouldn't tell me anything because I'm not family, so then I came here. How is she? Was she hurt bad? Can I see her? Oh please let me see her.' She rambled at a hundred miles an hour.

'Abs she's fine, she's in the front room.' Jenny replied in a slightly shell shocked tone from the speed of Abby's questions.

Abby quickly went into the living room where Penny stood up to greet her, and winced in pain as Abby threw herself at her.

'Ooo I'm so sorry Penny; are you OK?' Abby asked as she quickly stepped back.

'Yeah Abs I'm fine.' Penny replied as they all sat down.

Jenny sat next to Gibbs on the two seater sofa that was placed in front of the bay window. He placed his arm around her shoulder and held her tightly. Jenny leaned in closer to him, feeling safe and comforted.

Penny was laid on the sofa with Abby sat on the floor beside the fire. They all talked for hours before Penny and Abby both fell asleep.

'Do you think we should wake them?' Jenny whispered.

'Nah leave them for a bit.' Gibbs said kissing Jenny on the head. 'So I've been meaning to ask, last night you started saying something before we were interrupted; what was it you were going to say?' He added. His voice was low so that they wouldn't wake up Penny or Abby.

Jenny knew exactly what she wanted to say, but wasn't exactly sure how to say it. She'd never heard Gibbs talk about children and wasn't sure he even wanted any of his own, and she had always been the career woman, the high flyer, not to mention the fact that they'd not been together very long. Taking a deep breath she decided to explain how she felt from the beginning.

'Seeing and holding that baby has raised a lot of questions for me about things that I hadn't thought about in a long time. See when I had Penny I was seventeen, as you know, and I was young and foolish. I made a lot of bad decisions but the one thing I never regretted and never will regret is having her.'

'But…?' Gibbs interrupted.

'Because I let Mom and Dad take over as her parents I've always felt torn in two. On the one hand I've always felt very maternal towards Penny, you know, knowing that as her mom there are things that I should have been doing and enjoying, and I haven't been able to switch off my mom instincts; but on the other hand because I've had to repress all of that and pretend that I wasn't her mom and that I was her sister meant that I distanced myself, so there were things that I missed out on that as a mom I should have been experiencing. Does that make sense?' She asked, uncertain if anything she had just explained made any sense at all.

Gibbs knew exactly what she meant although maybe not for the same reasons. He often thought about Kelly and felt he'd missed out on so many things that might have been, and because he didn't feel able to share his pain with other people and chose not to tell them about his loss, he had to repress a lot of feelings too. But he realised now was not the right time to tell Jenny about Shannon and Kelly, because he realised where she was going with the conversation. He nodded his acknowledgement before allowing Jenny to continue.

'After I gave up Penny to my parents I felt I had no right to want or to have children, I punished myself by busying myself with work, but now I have you, and now Penny knows I'm her mom and then holding that baby today, it's made me realise that I want a baby of my own.' She said bluntly as she fought back her tears.

Gibbs remained silent for a few moments, thinking about how he could reply. He had more of a connection with Jenny than he ever had with any of his other wives, except for Shannon, which he knew was what made his and Jenny's relationship strong, not to mention the fact that she had grown a lot in the years they were absent from each other. Still not sure how to answer, he chose to pull Jenny as close as he could and ran his free hand over her stomach, resting it on her hip.

'I think you'll be a great mother.' He whispered into her ear as he tenderly kissed her which she reciprocated.

When they finally broke a part Gibbs rested his head against Jenny's.

'You know Penny was talking about us the other day; said that she was really happy that I was with you, that I made you happy and she thought you'd finally met your Prince Charming.' Gibbs explained with a fond smile.

With Gibbs's last comment Jenny gave a loud laugh and smiled heartily, resulting in a questioning look from Gibbs.

'Oh my God I can't believe she still remembers that.' She said as she fondly recalled a memory.

'Remembers what?' Gibbs asked with confusion.

'When Penny was about four she had an obsession with Cinderella, it's still her favourite fairy tale, and one night I was due to go out on a date. She was still up and about when he arrived and just as I got to the living room door she pulled me back in and said that she wanted to meet him. When I asked her why she wanted to meet him she said it was because she wanted to make sure he was my Prince Charming like in Cinderella. It was so cute that I had to let her meet him, and then she actually asked him if he was my Prince Charming, and said that if he was he had to take good care of me because if he didn't he would have her to answer to. It was the funniest thing; you know all the size of her trying to square up to him. But that has been one of her remaining constants, that she's fiercely protective of me.' Jenny explained with a very large smile.

'Aw Penny that is so cute.' Abby said without opening her eyes.

'Yeah I know I was cute once upon a time, what can I say? What Mom failed to mention was that I was also wearing my Cinderella costume at the time, I must have been going through a girlie faze.' Penny replied without opening her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips.

'Err…how long have you two been listening?' Jenny asked a little flustered.

'Just long enough to know that Penny is a daft old romantic.' Abby replied cheerfully, now fully awake.

Both Penny and Gibbs laughed, as Gibbs kissed Jenny on the head, and she then found herself laughing.

Soon after their conversations Abby decided it was time to head home. It was very late and it had been one long and very stressful day. Penny headed to her bed and was asleep almost instantly. Jenny and Gibbs on the other hand retreated to their room but didn't go to sleep right away; they stayed up for a while, deciding to get in some practice for the family they both desperately wanted.

**OK folks so that's the end of that story. Thank you to all who reviewed it, I got some great reviews and it is much appreciated. My next story will be up in a couple of days time with any luck, so please keep your eyes peeled.**


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